Hello everyone. My name is Kelvin Page, and I'm a little new the acting field. i have a problem that I can't seem to figure out. How do I go about choosing the right monologue ? I've looked through so many of them, and I find it hard to choose just a few. What are some of the things, to look for in a monologue and how many should 1 person have? Also how long should the monologue be. Thanks for any input. Love you'll.

Well, I was taught to find a monologue suited for your age range and your "type". Do you consider yourself better at comedy or drama? I was taught to NOT write your own; and not to choose anything with lots of profanity in it. Also, there is a school of thought that you should have a comedic, dramatic, classic, and contemporary monologue in "your pocket". You can find monologues from monologue books; but I recommend looking at plays to see if any character has a monologue in the play. Also, you can look at plays where the character doesn't have a monlologue; but has dialogue with another character. If it's a good exchange between the two characters, you can take away all of the other character's words and just use the words of the character you choose. Be sure to remove any direct responses from your character's dialogue. I think most auditions want you to have a 90 second monologue. It's unusual for them to want more; but it happens. Hope this helps.

Thank you very much Caroline. I really appreciate it. I find that I'm more comedic than dramatic, so I guess comedy suits me better. But, I will look into different genres, and I'll have numerous monologues in my pocket.

Caroline covered all the basics. I would add this: avoid monologues that are overtly shocking, slam someone's religion or politics, or are likely to make the casting director uncomfortable in some way. A lot of young actors seem to gravitate toward monologues involving rape or other negative topics thinking they're more dramatic, but consider the other side and how it must feel to watch one of these after another while casting a role. One casting director I read about said he so hated a shocking monologue from some play called The Woolgatherers that he would stop the actor performing it.

Go on Amazon and search "Best Stage Monologues of" There is usually a compilation of monologues from stage plays published every year and searching that phrase should pull up a bunch. You also might want to do a google search of "overused monologues" to avoid those that casting directors see too often.

If you're interested in auditioning more for film than the stage, you can also choose monologues from films or television. Just be sure to pick one that people are not likely to be familiar with. If it's a popular film or show you'll be compared to the star who developed that role - and obviously you don't want that.

One more thing - make yourself an expert on the genre in which you most want to perform. If it's stage, see every play you can. If it's film, watch movies constantly - old movies, new movies, foreign films, silent films. Start with the list of 100 films recommended for film students. It's online. Study the performances from the standpoint of technique, especially of those actors most like you.

Thank you Kay. I think you both answered every question I had. It's exciting to get so much support from my fellow actresses and actors. I really appreciate it. I'm going on amazon and google now. Again, thank you both. :0)

I like to reply to Caroline. She had some wonderful points. But one thing that always bugged me is why we are told not to write our own monologues. I've heard some really good originals and have landed a role for an original I wrote." I guess it depends on the kind of writer you are or the topic you use. But I can't see why it is wrong. I feel that if you have a great idea for one and when you talk it through and it comes out natural and catchy, why not. Any comments?

[User Deleted]

Posted 5:41 PM 1/19/2010

I agree. I don't understand why you can't write your own because it is a more natural you and usually when you write your own, it isn't as negative or about rape or anything profound. I don't suggest writing your own though if your english grammar is poor or you use a lot of bad language. Otherwise, I think it should be fine. It flows more when you come up with your own and it just feels better I think for you and if you're more comfortable it will feel more natural to the producer you're performing for. Just do what feels write and natural for you. That's always best. Just avoid being overly dramatic or negative in the monologue and be yourself. People always notice if you feel fake or you're trying to hard.

Thank you Monica and Daria. I always though of writing my own, but I wanted to get some insight on that first. I have a few that I have been writing just for practice, and I might use one. I really appreciate both of your thoughts on this matter. Thanks again.